Just rotate who is pushing him. It will be okay.
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He’s got my DH beat.
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Yeah, he just turned 13 two months ago and is already this tall!
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Thank you all so much for the helpful info regarding a wheelchair for DS-if anyone has anything else to add please let me know. I welcome all advice and information! I’ve contacted Scooterbug via email and phone and am awaiting a call back. So….on to the other things, like our daily plans! Epcot is giving me fits right now because of Remy moving to Genie+ instead of ILL. Feedback and suggestions welcome!
Arrival day:
-Noon arrival at AKL, explore resort and relax for several hours
-AK park around 4:00 for an early RFC dinner
-Will stack G+ thru the day for KS, NRJ, EE, and FOP (purchase ILL at 7am)
-Back to AKL to relax and/or swim.
Day 2: HS/Epcot split. HELP!!
-7am wake up for GOTG ILL, ROTR ILL, and MFSR G+. Which ILL to secure first???
-11:00 go to HS-only doing Galaxy’s Edge in HS this trip. So focus on ROTR, MFSR, wandering around GE, etc.
-2:00-3:00 skyline or boat to Epcot. Here’s where another question arises: realistically we won’t get a Remy G+ for today. Would it then be better to bus to Epcot and start in future world (or whatever it is now) and then spend the evening around world showcase? We will have deluxe evening hours this night, too. I need help planning Epcot from around 3:00-11:00. We want to see Harmonious, tour the world, and hopefully secure an ILL for GOTG. Also, I have NEVER ridden TT!! We will have one more morning/afternoon at Epcot later in our trip, too.
I’ll post plans for the remaining days later on. I’m just really stuck on that Epcot planning!
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There are two very big hills that absolutely killed me when we went: the hill at AK up to Pandora and the hill between Canada and UK then France. I came to really loathe the latter.
Check out the LL drop thread. I picked up a 3:05 pm Remy LL at the 2:47 drop.
ROTR. I missed getting ROTR at 7 am but had no problem getting a GOTG ILL after I had grabbed a BG for it (so definitely past 7 am).
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Thanks! It’s so helpful to know where the hills are and to plan for them-I appreciate ALL the intel on this! 
Another thing to be aware of is the fact that the walkways at AK are not smooth. They were made to look like animal tracks and leaves on a trail. DH felt like he was on a rumble strip in his wheelchair, especially when he was being pushed by DD or me. It jarred his entire body. Then again, a 13 year old may not care.
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I have a wheelchair all reserved now through scooterbug for him. I paid a little extra for the insurance because…well…teenagers! 
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Hey there! Sorry, it’s been a busy day, but I wanted to get back to you.
I was injured for (2) of our trips, and very self conscience about using an ECV. Don’t be… it’s great. TAKE THE CHAIR EVERYWHERE YOU GO. There’s a learning curve, but people are very willing to help, and if you’re not sure what to do in any situation, a Cast Member (CM) is very near, just ask.
If you want a little break from the chair, park it where they park strollers, turn it off and take the keys (really, REALLY important), and go in the shop, whatever.
EVERY RIDE CUE IS SUITIBLE FOR AN ECV. For ones that are not, like Star Tours, they will route your family down another entrance (without stairs or dangerous ramps). I was able to navigate the cue for flight of passage, every cue… BRING THE ECV. You forget how much walking, but particularly, how much STANDING is involved. Bring, bring, bring the ECV.
(and don’t get a regular wheelchair, you’ll regret it… hills and heat and running feet, don’t do this to your family member or yourself… rent the ECV every time you need one.)
I see you rented from Scooterbug (a Disney approved vendor), so that solves a couple of questions and answers right off the bat.
When Disney Resort hotel Guests choose to rent through ScooterBug, the Guest does not need to be present when the equipment is delivered to the Resort hotel. ScooterBug will work with Disney Resort Cast Members to manage deliveries and returns of rented strollers, ECVs and wheelchairs.
That is really, really great! If you aren’t around for pick up or drop off, you can leave it at your hotel’s Bell Services desk, and they take care of it between you and the rental company. I’ll save the horror stories of NOT doing this for another thread.
They are going to deliver the Scooter (ECV), a charging cable, a key on a wristband, and some other goodies. You can sometimes get extras (basket, water holder), it’s up to you. If it is the variety that can be broken down into 3 pieces, then you can rent any uber/lyft with a big trunk, or a mini-van. That’s sometimes the thing at the end of the night when you are just tired and want to go back to the room, but no worries if you don’t rent the kind that breaks apart. You just need to build in time to your transportation from X to Y throughout your trip.
*ECV tips you need to drill into your DS’s head
- Bring a bag that can go into the basket (things that you will leave in the ECV)
- BRING your charging cord - you eat at a restaurant? Plug it in, plug it in… hills eat up batteries
- If you can, run it slow - kids and strollers and yes, adults, pop in front of you, all the time.
- BRING BLING - Ribbon, a balloon, I’ve seen people use zipties that they later cut off to attach stuffies to the back of the chair. THIS WILL HELP YOU FIND YOUR CHAIR if you leave it outside.
- BRING A HUGE CLEAR PONCHO for you, and one for your battery. keep your battery dry.
- BRING A WASHCLOTH OR HAND TOWEL for your bag. You don’t want to sit in a wet ECV for long
- Nap time? Pool time? Resort time? Meal time? Plug in your ECV for a little charge. Ask, there are plugs in the strangest places, CM’s know where they are.
- Every night, without fail, plug in your ECV to charge it. People do it in the hallways at Animal Kindgdom Lodge, I’ve seen it everywhere that’s dry, the hallway is a GREAT place to charge your unit. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR KEYS IN THE UNIT EVER, or it will disappear
FINALLY - 9. The CM’s do NOT need your key to move your chair. If you leave it in a stroller area, and then it’s missing, look or ask for where they moved the strollers or ECV’s. Chances are they flipped the little switch (ask, they’ll show you how) to make it possible to move the ECV by rolling it like a stroller. This is great - safety is priority #1 in the kingdom!
BUS SERVICE - They all (Disney) have the bending bus situation, but if they are still renting Myers busses (think magical express) still, that may be up in the air. Just get in the normal cue for a bus, and because one member of your family has a wheelchair, you will ALL get in the line for the wheelchair bus connection. They are marked, usually look for the beginning of the boarding line for a bus (the next ones to board), and you’ll see the straight line next to their winding cue, with a handicap blue painted wheelchair symbol… that’s your line, take your entire family to that line, with the wheelchair in front.
They will load your ECV first onto the bus, lock it in safely, then seat your family, and then the rest of the bus. When it’s time to depart, they let everyone off the bus first, and then they come to unhook your chair, and you get off the bus on the lowering ramp. Note if you are not all getting off on the same stop (don’t think this applies to your family resort situation), just let the bus driver know where you’re going, and he will make sure you get there. We had to do this for Caribbean Beach Resort, which had multiple stops, as we were staying in Martinique (stop one - yay!!!)
FOR SAFETY, LISTEN, ASK QUESTIONS, AND DON’T BE SHY. This goes for all Disney transportation. The monorail system is a bit easier going TO the parks, but coming home to the ticket center at MK after fireworks may be a little bit of a wait.
AT THE END OF THE NIGHT, the bus managers are scoping people to see who needs extra transportation help to get busses running to the resorts as fast as possible to clear the park. When in doubt, just stop and ask, the CM’s are very helpful and friendly.
SKYLINER IS AWESOME in an ECV. Very easy, the easiest on the trip… you have your own line, you go in the middle of a special car, they lock you in, and boom, you’re flying!
DS13- he’s 5’8” and about 150 pounds
No problem, he’ll fit in any ECV they have
Staying at AKL Jambo house for 5 nights
we charged our ECV in the hallway, you will appreciate the extra room if you need it, see above, DON’T LEAVE THE KEY in the ignition. You can charge w/out a key.
Arriving around noon on our first day and not going to parks until 4:00 that afternoon
Great! You’ll have time to play with the ECV to learn how it works, and yes, plug it in for a few minutes to charge it!
We planned on using Disney transportation only, (bus to and from resort and skyliner/monorail between some parks),but we will have our vehicle there if needed.
Unless you have the break apart into 3-pieces ECV, you can’t really use your car to get the ECV to and from… but if you get one, you can put it into your trunk in pieces, no problem!
You mentioned jerky rides, that would be up to the comfort level of DS and you as the parental units. You can also ask about it at the front of the cue for, say, FoP. I see ECV’s use the bottom ramps once they get into the final cue, so you’re at the bottom of the “theater”. Not sure if they are able to stay in the chair or not, but if not, the thing that holds you in place on the dragon (seat like a bike with a calf press and a back/buttocks press to keep you in place) might not be comfortable.
I hear Guardians of the Galaxy is jerky too…maybe ask how stabilized the mobility device is on the leg, and play it by ear. You can always get off or out of cue if need be, they are very nice about everything.
Sorry, that was long, I have so much more I could share, let me know if you have any questions or other thoughts… but let your DS know that ECV’s do make the trip not only doable, but it will ease the mind on injury and pain. You’ve got this!!! 
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Almost forgot, look for the HURRICANE, it is GREAT for a little support when off the ECV in a store, etc. I got mine in walmart, but they are on Amazon as well. The grippers on the bottom let it stand up easier and help remind people not to bump into you as you navigate, say, through a crowded store if you want to get off the ECV.
That is the one part that is a challenge - going around a store that isn’t huge (like World of Disney at Disney Springs). I hopped out a few times, took my cane with me, and then back to the scooter! Same for the bathroom… leave the ECV outside, it’s easier than trying to do a 3 point turn in the restroom.
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I think you need to put all of this into an ECV thread! So much knowledge in one place!
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I second Jeff’s suggestion of putting all of this info into an ECV thread! So much detailed information provided, and thank you so much for sharing all of it!
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Well, an update here. It has been quite the week. DD went into labor early Tuesday morning 10 weeks early and delivered our first grandchild. She and our 3-pound, 4 oz grandson are both thankfully doing very well at the moment. Also, we found out today that DS13 is facing 4 weeks of physical therapy to address the dislocated knee. So, I switched our trip to August. I was able to call and talk to a cast member almost immediately, and she was able to switch everything to August. Our trip will now be 6 nights instead of 5 and is actually a little less expensive due to the Disney+ discount. Oh, and our new grandson’s name is Kylo… 
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Congrats!
Sounds like this move might be just what you needed to smooth things out.
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Congrats!
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Congrats, Grandma Padme! 
How exciting, and glad both DD and DGS are doing well!
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Congrats! I’m glad he is doing okay despite being born early.
By August your DS may not even need a wheelchair.
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I guess that makes DH “Anakin”…or “Darth Vader…”
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What an awesome turn of events! Glad everyone is doing well!
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